Da Vinci Hoax Blog

"You expect people to take you seriously with 'The Pope's Publisher'?"

Feel the love! Marvel in the bracing wit! Be blinded by the searing sarcasm! Or something like that. Yet another curious note of constructive criticism from a fan of The Da Vinci Code.

I have not your book yet, but right away I am not even sure I want to. Dan Brown's novel was a brilliant fictional book. Even if all the 'facts' in the book are not true, it still raises much skepticism in my mind and in the minds of the many people who have read it. Da Vinci's true feelings and ideas are fact and people have known that. The main problem I have with the book, is this... your publisher. You expect people to take you seriously with 'The Pope's Publisher'? This book is screaming with bias. Anyways, I hope you get a millionth of the readers that Dan Brown got, doubt you will though.

You have to admit, he has a point about The Da Vinci Hoax being biased. For instance, it's biased against falsehood, pseudo-scholarship, bad writing, anti-Catholic bigotry, goddess worship, false facts, and laughable dialogue between paper-thin characters.

"Even thought the book was a work of FICTION, some things ring true & have been proven so."

Via the Barnes & Noble website, a "review" of The Da Vinci Hoax that reveals far more about the fans of Dan Brown's novel than it does about our book (which I doubt the "reviewer" has even touched):

Jennifer, still looking for the answers, April 11, 2006,
The Truth
Even thought the book was a work of FICTION, some things ring true & have been proven so. The fact that paganism was around before Christianity came along is true. The fact that the Catholic church did smear the face of it to promote more to Christianity is true. Pagan temples were remade to be Christian churches. As for the rest, NO ONE knows the truth. Who knows if Jesus was married or not, no one can know first hand since it was so long ago. All we have to go on are books written by us (man/woman) alike, and we only write it as WE see it to be. This is the reason they are called BELIEFS. Since religion & information has been passed down through the centuries, the truth has been watered down. Everyone has their own beliefs, & we shouldnt put people down just because their's conflicts with ours.
Also recommended: The Power of Myth (Joseph Campbell)

There you go: the only thing we know is that the Catholic Church is nasty, mean, rotten, and devious. "As for the rest, NO ONE knows the truth."   And, of course, we shouldn't "put people down because their's conflicts with ours." Unless they are Catholic. Then it's fair game.  Beautiful. Well, Jennifer, I'm curious as to why you are "still looking for answers" when the answer you give is that no one can know the truth. In other words, stop wasting your time! There are no answers! We can't know the truth! And that's the truth! Go back to watching MTV and reading Dan Brown! Talk about the power of myth. How depressing. At least she gave our book 3 out of 5 stars...

Recently interviewed and quoted...

... by a couple of very different websites. The first is the Sharper Than Dull blog, operated by the irreverent and quirky David S. Titus, who sent me the most interesting and fun questions I've been asked in a while. And so I was able to have some fun with it, poking fun at nearly everything and everyone, including myself:

David — The first question: As a reader of A Gaggle of Deer TM, it is quite evident that you are well educated, where did you study?


Carl E. Olson — Like Dan Brown, I went to high school. However, he attended some fancy private school in New Hampshire (which, I'm told, is in New England. So, which is it: New Hampshire or New England?), while I attended school in the wilds of Montana. There I learned how to hunt, fish, tie
 knots, tie fly fishing lures, and avoid ties that go around one's neck. I don't want to get into specifics (out of legal concerns, of course), but I graduated from high school in less than ten years, which put me in the median range of young men between 15-26 who were raised in small towns in western Montana.

Read the entire interview.

The second piece is a column by Cliff Kincaid, editor of the Accuracy In Media Report, which is based on an interview that I gave to Kincaid a few weeks ago:

The Oprah-promoted James Frey book, A Million Little Pieces, turned out to be fiction described as fact. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, a full frontal assault on the basic tenets of Christianity, has been sold as fiction based on fact. And that is why the major media should scrutinize this novel that is being turned into a major motion picture.

Carl E. Olson, co-author of the book, The Da Vinci Hoax, says, "There is no such thing as just a novel or just fiction from the standpoint that even lightweight popular fiction has ways of influencing how we see the world and affects our perception of important and unimportant things. Fiction-if we broaden that to include television shows, sitcoms, movies-is probably the primary means by which most people today gain their understanding of big and small issues alike."

Read entire column.

Ignatius Press: Promoter of Big, Greedy, Corporate Gnosticism?

Apparently Steve Kellmeyer, a Catholic apologist and author of Fact and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, thinks so. Yesterday he published a column, "Does Ignatius Press promote Gnosticism?", on the Renew America website. This came fast on the heels of a series of comments made by Kellmeyer on the Insight Scoop and Da Vinci Hoax blogs (go here and here for the pertinent posts and comments). In his article, Kellmeyer makes a number of strange and sensational statements, including:

Recently, Carl Olson wrote a column for Ignatius Insight complaining about the uproar over the Gnostic Gospel of Judas. Since his column accepts comments from readers, I pointed out that the uproar was in part fueled by his erroneous book and DVD — he and Ignatius have been promulgating information on a heresy that the Da Vinci Code never even refers to. Two years of Ignatius' hype concerning this straw-man argument undoubtedly played no small role in the rising interest in Gnosticism. [emphasis added]

That's an amazing and wild claim, without a doubt. He also writes:

So, when I heard about Carl's column, in which he laments the existence of an uproar he and Ignatius helped to create, I asked Carl and Mark to give me one example of Gnostic philosophy, theology or even general thought in the Da Vinci Code. They couldn't.

Really? Since I have yet to respond to Kellmeyer's comments and column (all of which were published in the last three days, when I've been both buried with work and away from my computer for long stretches dealing with various responsibilities), I'm not sure why Kellmeyer is so confident I cannot respond adequately. In fact, I now have a lengthy response written, but have decided to wait until Monday to post it — I think it can (and should) wait until after the Easter Triduum. But I did want curious readers to know that I'm aware of Kellmeyer's column and will be responding first thing next week.

"Conspiracy theories have tremendous appeal for Americans."

I'd say. It almost makes you think there is a conspiracy to make conspiracy theories appealing in order to keep people from dealing with reality, studying legitimate scholarship, and coming to grips with complex, serious issues. AP reporter Richard Ostling has written a piece about fixations with conspiracy theories. He notes:

Riding in the wake of "Da Vinci" has meant success for books about the Knights Templar, ancient goddess worship, Holy Grail hunts, Vatican intrigue, religious texts that early Christians spurned and the never-ending speculations about the "real" Jesus.

The titles on various best-seller lists lately include "Labyrinth," "The Last Templar," "The Templar Legacy," "The Third Secret" and Brown's earlier novel, "Angels & Demons." ...

Brown's novel has scholarly characters who purport to present historical facts while Baigent's writings are marketed as nonfiction. But the two rivals agree about religion. Both write that evil churchmen plotted to conceal the truth about Jesus and distort the origins of Christianity, especially the secret that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and was patriarch to a royal bloodline.

Baigent's added twist in his new book has Jesus faking his death on the cross with the collusion of Pontius Pilate, after which he becomes a guru living with the Mrs. in Egypt.

Sigh. Yawn. Yeah, yeah. Well, at least Baigent admits that his "theory" has no factual support, saying:

"I'm in the business of raising questions. I'm not in the business of providing answers. The moment you provide answers, you have a new power structure, so for me it's a journey of exploration," he said. An ex-Catholic, he's suspicious of all belief systems and organized religions. "It's necessary that we question them constantly."

Uh, but aren't you, Mr. Baigent, providing an "anwer" when you claim that Jesus didn't die on the Cross, hitched a ride to a resort on the Nile, etc.? This is just another tired riff on the "Question authority!" slogan, which always begs the question: "Who gave you the authority to tell me to question authority?" In fact, the moment you provide answers, you prove that you are capable of observation, thought, logic, reason, and imagination. But if you keep prattling on about "being in the business of raising questions" — without ever finding answers —  I can only assume you are in a state of arrested toddlerhood.

Anyhow, the talk of conspiracy theories and the Coded Craziness reminded me of a piece I wrote nearly two years ago (May 4, 2004) for National Review Online, in which I compared TDVC with the Left Behind books:

In the Left Behind books (which I have written about before on NRO), an apocalyptic mythology about the future has been created based on interpretations of the Bible, using a unique and recent form of theology called premillennial dispensationalism. In The Da Vinci Code, a radical feminist mythology about the past is created via an interpretation of selected Gnostic writings that relies on esoteric, neo-pagan premises. In the Left Behind series, humanity is utterly depraved and history spirals downward into chaos and inevitable collapse; salvation can only come through a personal act of faith and complete renunciation of "the world." In The Da Vinci Code, humanity suffers from a lack of the "sacred feminine" and the world tilts ominously towards a male-dominated future; freedom from this imbalanced state requires the healing touch of the "goddess."

Both novels cite a common enemy: the institutions of man, especially the Catholic Church. This is far more overt in The Da Vinci Code, which contains a cacophonous recitation of how evil, violent, misogynist, murderous, backward, and corrupt the Catholic Church allegedly is. (No mention of Protestantism is ever made in Brown's novel, but "the Vatican" is omnipresent.) The authors of the Left Behind books agree with that assessment, as an examination of non-fiction works such as Are We Living In the End Times? demonstrates, but they are more muted in saying so in the Left Behind novels. There is no doubt, however, that LaHaye and Jenkins include the Catholic Church in a list of man-made institutions (e.g., the U.N., the European Union, Hollywood, etc.) contrary to the will and work of God. The bottom line is that faith is individualistic — "Me and Jesus" or "Me and the Goddess" — and that any spiritual or religious community larger than an intimate home church or a cozy secret society is to be viewed with great suspicion.

But, hey, I'm just asking questions. And as far as you don't know, I may or may not be part of The Conspiracy. Sure, it doesn't exist, but doesn't that prove that it might exist? Got you thinking now, don't I? Remember: question authority. Just don't ask why...

NEW: "The Da Vinci Hoax" DVD, with Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J., Carl E. Olson and Sandra Miesel

The Da Vinci Hoax DVD

Hosted by Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J., with Carl E. Olson and Sandra Miesel

Now the insights and arguments of the best selling exposé, The Da Vinci Hoax, are available on DVD. Apologist Carl E. Olson, historian Sandra Meisel, and Jesuit biblical scholar Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. join forces to expose the myths of Dan Brown’s popular novel, The Da Vinci Code.

Using top-notch graphics and outstanding art, this powerful, in-depth documentary gives an inspiring visual and intellectual presentation on the real truth about Christianity, and a devastating critique of the numerous errors and deceptions in The Da Vinci Code about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, the early Christians and the Catholic Church.

55 minutes. $14.95.

Holy Week vs. The Coded Craziness

A piece in The Christian Post discusses some of the challenges facing Christians as they enter into Holy Week:

Slapped on the large face of a high rise building in the middle of Times Square is the inevitable advertisement on the highly controversial upcoming movie release of "The Da Vinci Code." Dan Brown's bestseller is currently the most talked about text within and outside the Christian sphere three years after the book's release and weeks before its motion picture premiere. ...

Not too long after the release of a multimillion dollar scientific study that claimed that intercessory prayer had no impact on physical recovery, the National Geographic Society made public on Thursday an English translation of the "Gospel of Judas," which portrays Judas with a completely different persona from the one that most Christians have been familiar with – that of a traitor. Found in the Egyptian desert in 1970, the text presents Judas as a favored disciple of Jesus.

There are quotes from Dr. Darrel Bock, author of Breaking The Da Vinci Code (Thomas Nelson) and from yours truly:

Christians are mixed on whether to take the "go see it" outreach approach or protest against the movie's release. Carl Olson, co-author of "The Da Vinci Hoax," would rather not watch the movie, but has no interest in boycotting it either.

"The best way to approach it is to be more on the offense," said Olson, encouraging people who may support Brown's novel to consider reading what "the other side" has to say as well.

While it's true I'd rather not watch the movie, I did tell the reporter that I am going to see it. After all, I try to do all of my own research, even though I've heard that isn't always the case among authors.

Another article by The Christian Post about reaction to the recently concluded trial in London can be read here.

"Da Vinci Code" movie expected to pull in $207.3 million

So reports Bloomberg.com:

Jeff Blake, vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, is looking forward to summer. That's when the Sony Corp. unit will release ``The Da Vinci Code,'' one of the big-budget movies that Blake says have a good chance of reviving the U.S. box office after last year's plunge, the worst in almost two decades.         

"We're about to get an incredible summer,'' Blake said in an interview. Summer is the most important season for studios, bringing in about 40 percent of annual ticket sales,         

This year's summer movies start May 5 with Viacom Inc.'s "Mission Impossible III,'' starring Tom Cruise. Also on tap are Warner Bros.' "Poseidon'' and News Corp.'s "X-Men: The Last Stand.'' Studios are betting billions of dollars that last summer's decline was a fluke, rather than a sign that viewers made a permanent switch to video games or the Internet.         

A year ago, the season began with a whimper as "Kingdom of Heaven'' helped extend a streak of declines in weekend box office. U.S. and Canadian ticket sales in the May-to-September period fell 8.5 percent from a year earlier to $3.62 billion, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. That precipitated a 5.2 percent annual decline to $8.95 billion, the biggest drop since 1986.         

"Kingdom of Heaven" was a big budget, big name (Ridley Scott, Orlando Bloom) movie that was blasted by many critics for its historical revisionism and skewed presentation of Christians during the Crusades (I didn't see it). So, will "The Da Vinci Code," which has big names (Ron Howard, Tom Hanks) and is, to put it mildly, filled with historical revisionism and skewed depictions of Catholic history and beliefs, also fail? I seriously doubt it. It's based on the best-selling novel in recent history and is going to benefit from controversy (both real and contrived). Marketing-wise, it is much more like "The Passion of the Christ," which was based on a decent-selling book and also benefited from controversy. And if this story from Australia is any indication of what interest may be in other parts of the world, the cinematic version of the Code will easily hit the $200 million:

Meanwhile, gold-class tickets for The Da Vinci Code movie are virtually sold out for the first week of screenings, although the movie's premiere is still more than a month away. Simon Curavic of Hoyts Melbourne Central said: "Our biggest bookings have been from corporations hiring out entire cinemas for their clients."

The Da Vinci Code — starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen — has its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17. It opens the next day in Australia.

See related story here.

Should Christians see the cinematic version of the Code?

It's an oft-asked question. Here are excellent thoughts on it by Fr. Shane Tharp over at the "Apologize and Don't Be Sorry!" blog.

Michael Baigent and "The Jesus Papers" featured on "Dateline"

I didn't see it since I don't watch silly "investigative" shows that feature wingnut theories that aren't taken seriously by 99.9999999% of historians. Baigent, of course, is one of the three authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, and one of the plaintiffs in the recent (and failed) lawsuit against Dan Brown's publisher for copyright infringement. Baigent's new book is simply another tired riff on the 1965 book, The Passover Plot: Jesus really didn't die on the Cross, but escaped and moved to Toledo, Ohio, where he opened an espresso shop and did palm readings. (BTW, John Lennon said of Hugh Schonfield's book, "My views on Christianity are directly influenced by [the] book." What's up with Brits and weird, nutty theories about Jesus?) Or something like that. Anyhow, NewsBusters.org has a piece about the nonsense that's worth reading. Personally, I can't wait for NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, CNN, etc., etc., to start doing "investigative" pieces about how Mohammed never existed, that Buddha didn't found Buddhism, that Moses was actually a member of the PLO, and so forth and so on. Should happen any day now, just as soon as the talking heads at N(ever) B(elieve) C(hristians) finish telling the world the truth about the "'Gospel' of 'Judas'."

By the way, NBC pitched the infomercial by using slogans including, "What if everything you think you know about Jesus is wrong?" (Sounds very similar to the ominous voice overs in the DVC trailers). I say: Hey, what if everything you saw on NBC was wrong? And everything spouted on "Dateline" was a pile of steaming mashed potatoes? Now that's something with a ring of truth to it.